NEW YORK — Eric Paschall was the one who got to grab the trophy, and he wasn’t about to give it up without a fight. He wrapped his arms around it tightly, cradling it like a newborn as he stood on the makeshift stage alongside the rest of his Villanova teammates. He carried the hardware down the steps and toward the net he was about to cut down, gripping the thing as if his life depended on it. He wouldn’t let go; he didn’t really have to.

This Big East tournament title belonged to Paschall and Phil Booth. The young guys, too, of course. And coach Jay Wright, who has won his fair share of these trophies over the years.

But mainly Paschall and Booth.

There’s a reason they were the two chosen to clip the final piece of each net during the postgame festivities that followed the 74-72 win over Seton Hall on Saturday night. Paschall clipped his nylon and swung it around a few times, shouting, ‘Yessir, yessir,’ all the while. Booth snipped his,...